24 hours

What a lot can happen in 24 hours.
It feels a bit like we've been through a full spin cycle in the washing machine!

A few weeks ago, our social worker sent us details of three boys who need to be adopted. They're aged nearly 5, nearly 4, and 14 months. We expressed an interest, and their SW said she'd speak to our SW when he got back from holiday. They spoke to each other on Tuesday afternoon. Our SW sent the boys' SW the report about us. Which she read. And then got excited.

Yesterday, the boys' SW sent our SW the reports about the boys. Our SW came round and gave us copies of the reports last night. I've been away in Sussex, and didn't get back till tonight. So Mrs D spent 2 hours last night on the phone to me reading the reports down the phone! Not easy reading. Lots of difficult stuff to come to terms with about their past.

The boys' SW wants to come and meet us. She's coming on Monday afternoon. She's postponed some of her holiday so she can come.

Our SW is coming round tomorrow to go through the boys' reports with us. To discuss the issues / points he is unsure of. To discuss what the boys' SW may ask us on Monday.

We have questions about what we've read in the boys' reports. She most likely has questions about what she's read in our report. Monday will be for getting some answers.

As I see it there are two outcomes from Monday...
1. We or the boys' SW (or both of us) don't feel there's a match - so nothing more happens and we go on looking for our children.
2. We and the boys' SW feel there is a match - assuming we're approved on 10 July, we'd go to the boys' agency's matching panel at the end of July, with introductions to the children soon after.

It's not really supposed to happen like this. We're supposed to go to our panel and get approved. Then we start to look at details of children. Then a SW might want to come and visit us to talk about a child / children. A few rounds of this - then we come across the 'right' ones. Then matching panel. Then introductions. A more leisurely time-frame. Time to take stock. Time to get used to things.

I'm not sure that we really know how we feel.
Terrified? yes.
Excited? yes.
Apprehensive? Anxious? probably.
And how do we know if these are the ones for us? How do we know?
Unfortunately God doesn't send emails!

Looks like the weekend will be spent praying / tidying / praying / cleaning / praying / gardening...
All help gratefully received!